I Believe in Fairies
by SailorChronos1
Summary: Kendra is a regular university student until she begins a research project on fairies, and she stumbles upon another world that takes her beyond most humans' experience: the Magic Dimension. Takes place during Season 5.
1. Project

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 1: Project

There was something about other people that had always fascinated Kendra Renault. Since childhood she had been exposed to artwork and media from many different cultures, thanks to her mother's job at the city's Museum of Fine Arts. When the time came for her to enter university it was no surprise to anyone who knew her that she had decided to become a cultural anthropologist and immerse herself in the world's civilizations.

However her chosen career path wasn't an easy one, for a number of reasons. Anthropology was not a highly sought-after skill these days. Being aware of this, she also pursued a minor in education which would give the option of going into teaching, but going so effectively doubled her work load. And then there was the bullying. Her mother's ancestry was from the Middle East, which showed in her own olive-brown skin and dark hair. Thus her appearance alone was enough to cause suspicion and even outright hostility from those too narrow-minded to understand her for the person she was instead of a media-portrayed stereotype.

During the third year of her studies she learned to watch out for the "Delta Crew": a group of high-strung girls who were all members of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority chapter and used that status to get away with numerous shenanigans. Their leader was Cyndi Neymeth: a willowy, brown-haired young woman with a surprisingly cruel streak. One rumour claimed that when Cyndi was a child she would ambush dog walkers and douse the dog with mud.

One of the Crew was in almost all of Kendra's classes, which made attendance quite stressful. Most of her classmates had been the victim of a prank at least once. Kendra herself discovered one day that someone had broken into her locker and replaced an expensive textbook with a folder full of pictures that had been digitally altered to look like her in embarrassing situations. A note threatened that the photos would be spread across the Internet unless she paid Cyndi an exorbitant amount to get the book back. After grudgingly paying the "fine" for her book, she destroyed the photos and replaced her combination lock with a high-end padlock that could not be picked or removed with anything less than bolt cutters.

The harassment didn't stop there, and Kendra began to wonder if the animosity stemmed from an incident back in high school: Cyndi had intended to embarrass her by tampering with a chemistry experiment, but she had realized that something was wrong and was able to avoid a serious spillover. Cyndi was disciplined and Kendra had thought that was the end of it, but apparently not. It certainly seemed obsessive of Cyndi to continue this now, especially since the stakes were higher.

Over the course of the semester she was pelted with spitballs in class (somehow the professors never noticed), had vicious but untrue rumours circulated about her, and one of her social media accounts was hacked and bombed with the same photos that she had been threatened with earlier.

Neither she nor a computer-savvy friend was able to determine who the hacker was or where the photos originated. This left her with no choice but to painstakingly remove all of her account's contents (a process that took most of a night) and delete it. Next she changed the passwords on her email addresses and all the other online services she used, just in case.

The frustrations continued to pile up when she and others attempted to alert the school staff to what was happening. Professors, guidance counselors, the DPE sorority president, and the Anthropology department chair were all consulted, and the promises they made to look into the matter only served to mitigate things for a brief time. Kendra and a few of her peers resorted to watching out for their possessions and themselves to the point of paranoia.

But the worst was yet to come.

* * *

At the beginning of March, the teacher of her Mythology and Occultism course had a surprise announcement. "The final assignment for this course will be two-fold," Professor Munroe informed the startled students. "First you will submit a research document on cultural mythology. BUT," he stressed, "you must choose a subject that is relatively obscure. That means no Greek, Norse, Roman; any of the big ones. I will ask each of you to see me individually during the next class to submit your topics. Hopefully that will ensure no second thoughts or possible repetition. Now, the second part is an oral presentation or slide show on the same subject that will be presented to the entire class."

"What percentage of the mark will this be?" someone in the back row asked.

His reply was, "Since this in effect replaces a final exam, it will be worth sixty percent of the final grade, in accordance with the standard rules." Murmurs of dismay rippled through the class, but the professor held up his hand to quell them. "Given the quality of the work that I've seen from most of you so far..." He paused pointedly, and Kendra didn't have to look around to know that several people were grimacing in embarrassment. "There should be no trouble with this assignment."

At the next session two days later, Kendra waited in the corridor outside the classroom along with the rest of her classmates. Few people were talking, given the seriousness of the assignment, and tension was high. She was confident in her topic selection, though, and paid little notice to Cyndi's smugness.

Professor Munroe wasted no time in asking when she took her turn to enter the classroom, which was empty except for him sitting at his desk. "So, Miss Renault, have you decided upon your project?"

"Yes, sir. My research topic will be the cultural beliefs and deities of the pre-Islamic Arabian mythos."

The professor scowled and checked a paper. "Are you aware that Miss Dillon has already chosen that subject?"

Kendra blinked in confusion. Her choice had been deliberately obscure in order to lessen the probability of others also selecting it. "No, I didn't know." She cleared her throat and stated her second option. "The oral traditions and mythology of the Polynesian peoples."

Professor Munroe shook his head. "I'm sorry, that's been taken by Miss Neymeth. Try again."

One classmate choosing the same topic as hers could be discounted as coincidence, but two? Glancing quickly at her notes, she picked one far down the list. "The traditional religion of the Yoruba people of West Africa."

Now the he looked annoyed. "That's Mr. Lang's topic. If this is some kind of game, you'd better get serious or stop wasting my time."

Kendra was stunned into silence. The only way this could possibly be happening was if someone had copied her notes! But how? She had taken every precaution short of memorizing the entire lot. "Sir, I suspect that someone copied my topic list without my permission and distributed it to the class," she said stiffly.

Unfortunately he didn't believe her, but that wasn't surprising because she hadn't expected him to. "It's more likely that because your surname is near the bottom of the roster, the others beat you to the punch," he said. "If you can't come up with a unique topic I'll have to reduce your credit."

His statement panicked her. In order to achieve her degree requirements, she had to pass this course! She begged, "Please give me until five PM, and I'll come up with an alternate." That was when his last class for the day ended, which would give her the time to get to the library and do some lookups.

He sighed heavily. "All right, but be sure it's a good one," he said as he gathered the papers on his desk into a folder. "I'll meet you here, and please don't disappoint me."

She nodded curtly and left the room, fuming inwardly. Several of her classmates had remained behind and gathered a short distance down the hallway as if they had sensed that something was about to happen. Cyndi was openly snickering. "So, did you get the topic you wanted?" she asked in an insincerely sweet tone.

It suddenly became clear. "You!" she accused. "You stole my notes and told everyone!"

"You have no proo-oof," Cyndi sing-songed with a wicked grin. "Now I'll get top marks in the program and finally have my revenge on you. It's gonna be awesome!"

Kendra glared at her rival and said scornfully, "You're sabotaging me now just for a stupid thing that happened back in high school? You need to get a life. And I'm not falling for your little trick." She turned and marched away.

"You already have," Cyndi called after her, and then laughed.

She didn't stop walking until she had reached the corridor that linked the Arts building to the main concourse. Now that her classmates knew what she had researched, she would have to start from the beginning and find an entirely new subject. And in order to put an end to Cyndi's juvenile game, it had to be something that no one else would have considered.

Her gaze fell upon a newspaper rack. There were over a dozen of them around the campus; they held the school's weekly magazine and a few other periodicals. She recognized one of the papers as a local free tabloid, and its front page had a large headline: "Do Fairies Exist?" Intrigued, she picked it up. It was common knowledge that tabloid articles were sensationalistic and mostly false, but like any story, there was a glimmer of truth in it somewhere. Perhaps this might give her some inspiration.

Quickly she rolled up the paper to obscure the headline and moved away from the rack. She couldn't look at it here. If someone from the Delta Crew happened to see her, the word would spread faster than a tweet, and the last thing she wanted was to give Cyndi more ammunition to use in her war.

When she reached the library and found an unoccupied study nook, she sat down to read the article that she had picked up. The coastal town of Gardenia in California had recently been the site of various strange incidents that the locals had attributed to "fairies", including a miraculous transformation of an offshore oil platform to a high-tech solar power collector. The centre of the alleged fairy activity was a shop called "Love and Pet" that specialized in the care of various small creatures that were claimed to be magical.

Now her curiosity was piqued. Fairy myths existed in many cultures, but this was the first time she had seen anything of this nature in modern times. Perhaps it was worth checking out.

She set up her laptop computer, and after it connected to the library's wi-fi she did Internet searches to find the Winx Club Love and Pet web site. It had a very professional layout, used a bright pink and yellow colour scheme, and contained concise descriptions of the services that were available. There was even a variety of pets on display, but their appearance was unlike anything that existed on the planet and therefore couldn't possibly be real. When she attempted to "download" one of the fanciful pets, a message popped up: "We're sorry, but new adoptions are not being offered at this time. Please contact us by email or visit our shop."

Humming thoughtfully, she said, "I might just do that."


	2. Research

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 2: Research

Determined to find the truth behind the Gardenia fairy story, Kendra wrote an email to the Love and Pet web site that described her research project and requested more information. Within a few minutes she got an automated response that read that the owners of the shop were away on an important mission, which struck her as being extremely strange.

Several days later, someone must have manually checked the shop's inbox because Kendra received an email from a girl named Tecna who explained that sadly, the shop would be closed until further notice because she and the other girls who ran it had an emergency elsewhere. However she gave the names and phone numbers of several people living in Gardenia who would be able to help with her assignment.

Fired up by this development, Kendra made arrangements to spend part of her March break in Gardenia. While most of her peers would be seeking places to ski or swim (or both), her trip was going to be all business... well, mostly. One just couldn't visit a seaside town without hanging on the beach for a while.

* * *

She arrived in Gardenia in the middle of a sunny but cool afternoon. Once she'd checked into a hotel and freshened up, Kendra chose to walk around the city core to become more familiar with the place and listen to any snippets of conversation she could pick up.

It wasn't long before she found the building where the Love and Pet shop was. Its pink and yellow façade coupled with the sign's curled script made it appear quite fanciful. The windows were darkened and although there were still furnishings inside, the place looked like it hadn't been used for quite some time. A note on the door apologized to customers for the closure and explained that it was impossible to predict when or if the shop would reopen. If any problems were to occur, pet owners were advised to call a girl named Roxy at a local phone number. The note was signed with six names: Bloom, Stella, Tecna, Flora, Musa, and Aisha.

"Looking for the Winx Club?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned to see a young red-haired woman. "They had to leave town suddenly last September, but I think they still pop in from time to time."

"You mean the girls who ran this shop?" she asked, feeling a little confused. "Did you know them?"

The woman smiled but then shook her head. "Only by reputation. They did a lot of good around here last year. If you want to know more about them, I suggest you start where they used to hang out: the Frutti Music Bar down on the beach."

Half an hour later Kendra was sitting at a table and drinking a smoothie in the Frutti Music Bar, which was a large building with a tropical-style roofed terrace in front where the patrons gathered. At the back was the bar itself and to one side was a stage that was currently occupied by several amplifiers and a drum kit. The owner, a gruff brown-haired man named Klaus, confirmed that the "Winx Club" as the six girls referred to themselves had been regular customers. His daughter Roxy was a friend of theirs.

When she asked him if she could speak to Roxy, his answer shocked her. "Sorry, but Roxy isn't available. She's attending a special school for fairies called Alfea."

Kendra almost choked on her drink. "School for fairies?"

He looked around and lowered his voice. "I can't talk about it here; I'm too busy. Tell you what, when I get off shift I'll phone some people and we'll all meet at my place." Scribbling a time and an address on his notepad, he ripped the sheet of paper off and handed it to her. "Then you'll be able to ask all the questions you need."

That evening she arrived at Klaus' modest home and was met at the door by a tall beautiful woman with dark hair who turned out to be Klaus' wife, Morgana. Waiting inside was Klaus and another couple, whom Kendra learned were Mike and Vanessa, the adoptive parents of Bloom.

After introducing herself and thanking everyone for their time, Kendra set up her laptop and activated a voice recorder. She began the discussion by explaining her research project and showing the article that had led her to Gardenia. "Nobody believes the stories in tabloids, but I decided to take a risk and find out if there's any truth to this."

"As crazy as it might sound," Mike said, "it is true. Few people outside of Gardenia know what really happened here, so it doesn't surprise me to see articles like that. Our question is: are you willing to believe us?"

Kendra was fascinated and astonished in turns as the four adults wove a fantastic tale that told of the Winx girls' origins in a place called the Magic Dimension, where many young people had the potential to become beings that were referred to as fairies, witches, or Specialists. There were schools devoted to the study of magic and combat, and Alfea was one such. All the girls went there, and Mike and Vanessa had even visited there once. The headmistress was a woman named Miss Faragonda, a powerful fairy herself.

"Is that why the girls had to close the Love and Pet shop?" Kendra asked. "Because they had to return to Alfea?"

Vanessa replied, "Yes. They didn't intend it that way, since they'd effectively graduated already and they wanted to stay in Gardenia to run Love and Pet. But then a terrible villain named Tritannus began to attack the oceans in the Magic Dimension, so they went back to help fight him."

"They do manage to visit once in a while though," said Mike.

Kendra sat silently for a moment, trying to absorb everything she had heard. These people looked and sounded perfectly normal, but what they were saying was completely nonsensical from a real world perspective.

"I don't blame you for having trouble believing this," Morgana said gently. "It's a lot to take in."

Something nagged at Kendra's memory. "Klaus told me that your daughter Roxy is going to Alfea. Does that mean she's a fairy?"

"She is," Klaus confirmed.

"But... judging by what you said earlier, Roxy must be from the Magic Dimension too, right?"

Morgana chuckled. "No, she was born and raised here in Gardenia. She inherited her powers from me."

Thoroughly amazed, Kendra stood and confronted her. "Are you saying... you're from there? You're a fairy?" She backed up a step. Part of her was eager to hear more, in the same way as a child wished to find out if a dream was in fact true. But another part of her wanted to escape this insanity before she was swallowed by it.

The older woman rose gracefully. "There's nothing to fear here," she said in a reassuring tone. "You asked us to confirm the claims in the newspaper article. What we've told you is only the tip of the iceberg, as the saying goes. If you want proof, watch me."

Still skeptical, Kendra quickly took out her smartphone, aimed it and tapped Record as Morgana stood tall and waved her hands in a complex gesture. Suddenly she was enveloped in a silvery-green glow, and when the light faded she had changed! Her hair had become noticeably longer and she was dressed in a floor-length green dress with long flowing sleeves. A jeweled tiara graced her forehead, and the dress was accented with jewels as well. But the most obvious difference was the large pair of pale blue wings that grew from her back.

Kendra was so in awe that she had to sit down before her knees failed her. It was a few moments before she regained the presence of mind to stop the recording. She noticed that Klaus, Mike, and Vanessa were smiling and didn't seem at all fazed by the transformation, which implied that they were accustomed to seeing it. Not quite ready to trust her eyes, she looked carefully around the room for a projector or other device that could have been responsible for the light show.

Klaus crossed his arms with an amused snort. "If you're looking for special-effects gizmos, you won't find any."

She got up and walked slowly around Morgana, taking in every detail, even going so far as to lift one of the sleeves and run her fingers along the silky cloth. "Most Earth myths describe fairies as small," she finally said in a hushed voice.

"Some are," said Morgana easily. "In the Magic Dimension they're called Pixies. And certain fairies do have the ability to shrink themselves. Like that article, myths also have a grain of truth hidden in them if you know where to look." She gestured again, and her fairy form dissolved in a shower of green sparkles as she reverted to her civilian appearance.

Vanessa spoke up. "Business has been slow lately, so I can close my flower shop for the day tomorrow and give you a tour," she offered. "That way you'll see more of what the Winx have done for Gardenia and you can judge for yourself instead of simply accepting our word. Part of the girls' mission last year was to help people believe in magic again. Talking to you has made me realize that we need to continue it on their behalf."

Kendra swallowed nervously. She had come here seeking answers and knowledge, and what she had experienced so far had definitely passed the limits of rational thinking. But how could she deny her own senses? That transformation had been _real_. "I want to believe."

"That's a good start," said Mike with a nod.

* * *

As she had promised, Vanessa met Kendra at her hotel the following morning and led her to several places in the city that had been directly affected by the Winx Club's presence. They started at a community garden where a small blue plant that Kendra had never seen before was growing; it supposedly was a magical flower that only bloomed once every few centuries. From there they visited the home of someone Vanessa knew who had bought one of the otherworldly pets from the Love and Pet shop. This particular creature looked vaguely like a kitten but with pink fur, large blue eyes, and a mischievous streak beyond that of any normal cat. And it could fly!

After stopping for lunch they walked along the beach, and Kendra listened to Vanessa's recounting of how she and Mike had adopted Bloom and later discovered that she was a fairy as well being as a princess of a world in the Magic Dimension called Domino. Even though Bloom was eventually reunited with her birth family, she still considered her adoptive parents as family, and they were very close.

As they approached the Frutti Music Bar, Vanessa pointed out to sea where a strangely-shaped structure was floating. Kendra used the telephoto lens on her camera to get a better look at it while Vanessa explained that it had been an oil rig until an accident caused a major spill. The Winx had helped stop the spill and then used their powers to transform the rig into a solar-powered tidal generator that now helped to supply the city's electrical needs.

By the end of the day, Kendra's camera contained dozens of photos and her recorder was filled with anecdotes from many people who had been helped by the Winx girls. All this evidence was undeniable: fairies existed. She had even seen one first-hand. Her challenge now would be to phrase her report in such a way as to make it seem like a myth, because after all, her assignment was about mythology. The reality was something she would have to keep to herself for the foreseeable future, or people would think she was crazy.

Perhaps, she thought wryly, being a bit crazy wouldn't be so bad given the state of the world lately. People needed some form of magic in their lives.


	3. Disbelief

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 3: Disbelief

Kendra spent two more days in Gardenia, spending time with her new friends as well as taking in the sights. When she returned home she set to work on her project. Mindful of the mysterious hacking incident, she took extra steps to ensure that her computer was safe. She even went to the extreme of disconnecting it from the internet every time she worked on her report and keeping an extra backup of all her information on a memory stick that never left her sight.

She feared more pranks when school resumed after the break, but surprisingly there were none. It was possible that the Delta Crew girls, like everyone else, were too busy preparing for the end of term exams to bother with childishness. All the same, she remained vigilant; for all she knew the Crew was deliberately leaving her alone to lull her into a false sense of security.

Professor Munroe was surprised that Kendra chose to submit her printed report directly to his office several days before the deadline. She explained that since he had been tolerant enough to accept her last-minute topic change, she would thank him by being the first to hand in the project. Of course the real reason for the privacy, which she didn't mention, was that she didn't want to give Cyndi any opportunity to steal or otherwise sabotage her work.

So it was immensely satisfying for Kendra to see the look of shock and anger on her rival's face in their next class when Cyndi found out that she had already completed her paper. Now all that remained was the oral presentation.

When the class assembled in the school auditorium on the assigned day, Kendra knew that she was up against some tough competition. Oddly, difficulties began as soon as the first student stepped up to the podium. The light bulb burned out in the projector that the students were using to display their slide shows, causing a delay until a replacement bulb could be found. A short time later the microphone failed and it was discovered that part of the wire had burned through its casing; the problem was attributed to a careless student having rolled a cart over it and weakening it. The student who was to speak immediately before Kendra discovered that the memory stick he'd stored his project on had become unreadable.

When Kendra was about to make her way to the stage, she was called aside by Professor Munroe who led her out into the hallway. "Before you proceed, I'd like to verify if you gave me the correct document a few days ago," he said darkly.

Befuddled, she replied, "I'm certain that I did, sir. I'd printed it out that morning and it didn't leave my possession until I gave it to you. Why?"

He brusquely handed her a folder. "Very well. But if this is a joke, I don't appreciate it."

She opened the folder and gasped. It was her report... or what was left of it. There were scorch marks across the pages, rendering most of the text illegible.

"Several others were similarly damaged, but none this badly," he said. "If I were the suspicious type I'd say that someone was trying to stop you from passing the course. But quite frankly, I don't see how this could have been done, because all the projects have been locked in my office and the only ones with access are myself and the department chair."

"I assure you sir, the document was pristine," Kendra insisted.

He paused for a moment, thinking. "I wonder if I might have put it on the radiator by accident."

"Please tell me you graded it before this happened," she said in a small voice, unable to keep the desperation out her tone.

"I didn't, but you may resubmit it once you complete your oral component," he advised her, his expression softening a bit. "Judging by all the problems today you might have to postpone it."

It did come to that. When she returned to the stage, she removed her memory stick from the lanyard around her neck and plugged it into the podium's computer, only to find that it couldn't be accessed. She silently swore in frustration because it had been perfectly fine when she had checked it that morning. However, thanks to her crazy preparation she had a second identical one which she had hidden in her purse, and that one worked.

Halfway through her show, while she was discussing the anecdotes that she had recorded while in Gardenia, several people in one of the back rows broke out into laughter. Right away she knew that it was a clear attempt by the Delta Crew to cause everybody to stop paying attention to her. She paused and waited for the laughter to die down before continuing, but she hardly got a few more sentences out before the laughs started again, and this time it slowly spread through the rest of the assemblage until Kendra had no choice but to shut down her presentation and leave the stage in defeat.

Professor Munroe was generous when he allowed her and the other inconvenienced students to repeat their projects within the more intimate setting of the department conference room. Kendra made a rather brazen request that she not present hers on the same day as Cyndi—which he granted, much to her relief—and her performance, in her opinion, was flawless. She had a good feeling that her final mark would be acceptable.

* * *

When she received the preliminary end-of-term transcript a week later, she was utterly dismayed and infuriated to see that the mark for her Mythology and Occultism class, which she had laboured so hard on, was one point below the cut-off line.

She hadn't passed.

After spending a few minutes ranting so loudly that it brought her roommate hurrying in to find out what was going on, she sobered. If she could find out the reason why this had happened, perhaps she could arrange some form of extra-credit work to make up the shortfall. Some professors did give their students such leeway.

Unfortunately, this time she was to be disappointed. After being extremely lenient to many students throughout the whole process, Professor Munroe had reached the end of his patience. The marks would stand. "Your discussion topic simply wasn't believable," he told her. "Plus I could find no literary evidence of it other than a tabloid."

"It's still mythology," she countered. "It's not supposed to be believable to modern thinking. And I traveled to the source myself to get first-hand information. Who else in the class went to that effort?"

"I do commend your tenacity," he said kindly. "You've shown remarkable talent and determination throughout the whole program, but I'm sorry to say that it looks like you won't be graduating this term. You'd be welcome in any of my classes in September."

A short time later she cleared out her locker and dejectedly walked away from the college campus. Her final assignment had been made into a laughingstock, and by now the word must have spread throughout the department thanks to Cyndi and her friends. It was highly likely that no other department would accept her so that she could make up the credit, not after this debacle. So here she was with her reputation in tatters and no degree. What could she do next?

Screams broke her out of her reverie. Someone was in trouble! Frantically she tried to locate the source of the sounds, and after a few seconds was able to discern that they were emanating from a little-used pathway between two apartment buildings. She broke into a run, and came upon a group of four men who were harassing a young woman who was cowering against a wall.

"Last chance, Fatinah!" one of the men was saying in heavily accented English. "Stop this heresy!"

The woman screamed again and an arc of golden energy spread out from her, causing the men to stagger backwards! Kendra stared at her, noting in a split-second that she was wearing a dark orange beaded dress and had wings on her back. She was a fairy! Heedless of the danger to herself, she charged forward with a yell.

Off-balance from the attack and seeing another opponent approaching, the men fled.

Kendra knelt beside Fatinah, who was winded and bruised in several places from what looked like a recent beating. "Please let me help you," she offered.

"One, even with an advantage, cannot hold off so many," Fatinah said painfully as Kendra helped her slowly rise to her feet. "I should have anticipated that my brothers and their friends would do this."

"But it's wrong!" Kendra cried. "Attacking you is against the law!"

Fatinah shook her head sadly. "They don't care. To my family, honour and obedience is everything." She winced as she held her bruised arm protectively, and then sighed. "I had intended to visit only for a short time. But they persuaded me to tell them the truth about where I go to school, and what I am. Now they say that anyone who claims to have magic is considered an infidel."

Kendra quickly realized what must have caused the situation. "Do you follow the teachings of Islam? Nowhere in the holy text does it say that users of magic must be punished," Kendra insisted as she struggled to remember the specific quotation. "Only that they must willingly repent."

"That's so, and I would not. I believed these fairy powers to be a gift that I should learn about and use to fight evil. However my family doesn't see it that way."

"So what will you do now?"

They had begun to slowly walk away from the path when Fatinah suddenly stopped and bowed her head. "My father and brothers will punish my mother, believing this 'curse' to have come from her. If I return unrepentant, I will suffer the same fate."

As much as Kendra wanted to angrily denounce the male members of Fatinah's family for being backward, foolish, and unloving, she bit her tongue for fear of upsetting her further. But Fatinah saw the fury in her face and smiled sadly.

"You are a Westerner and can't fully understand our way of life, no matter how much you might have studied it," she said, and straightened up with an expression of resigned acceptance. "I must act to protect my family. If I keep my powers, my mother will suffer. If I flee, she will still suffer. Miss Faragonda herself could appear in our living room and argue my case, but nothing and no-one would be able to convince them." She lost her balance for a moment and leaned against the wall of the adjacent building. "No, I shall have to repent and cast away my powers, and hope everyone will forgive me."

Kendra was struck speechless and stared open-mouthed at the other girl. It was so sad; having the power to fight evil should be seen as a blessing but this family was so hidebound that they wouldn't understand. Although she understood the reasons for Fatinah's decision, it still was unfair.

Suddenly, a brilliant reddish-golden glow surrounded Fatinah and she was lifted a few centimeters off the pavement. Her dress lengthened and became frillier. Her wings grew larger and sported more elaborate designs. Around her neck appeared a choker, from which hung a tiny delicate bottle. When the transformation was complete, she drifted gently back to the ground. She looked at herself, and in a low voice said, "How ironic. I attain my final fairy form while in the process of sacrificing it to save my mother." Turning to Kendra she reached out to grip her shoulders. "For you, who believes in fairies, I give the gift of Winx. It will lead you to the adventures that your heart yearns for."

Before Kendra could ask how she knew what was in her heart, Fatinah closed her eyes and concentrated. Once again she came alight in red and gold, but then the light intensified and began pouring into Kendra. She stood transfixed as Fatinah's wings flickered and vanished, her hair shrank to its normal length, and finally her costume burst into a shower of sparkles which reformed into street clothes. As the last of the light faded away, Fatinah collapsed and Kendra just barely caught her before she hit the ground.


	4. Learning

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 4: Learning

Hours later, after helping the exhausted Fatinah to get home safely to face her family, Kendra returned to her apartment. By this time it was evening and she was famished besides. She had just enough energy to grab a granola bar from the kitchen pantry and plop down onto her bed, yet her mind churned over the strange and incredible events that had happened that day.

Rolling onto one side, she regarded her reflection in the mirror that hung on her closet door. She looked just the same as she usually did. And she really didn't feel any different. She wasn't even certain of what had actually happened. And yet... deep in her heart there was a spark of something that hadn't been there before: something that she knew she had to follow to whatever destiny that was in store for her. Otherwise Fatinah's sacrifice would have been pointless.

She decided to phone Morgana in Gardenia. She might be able to give some insight.

Morgana picked up on the second ring. "Hello Kendra, how nice to hear from you," she said in a cheery tone. "Have you done your project?"

With a sigh Kendra admitted, "I did, but my teacher didn't like it and failed me. I can't graduate."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault. But I do need to talk to you about something else." She told Morgana what she had witnessed earlier that day.

There was a long pause at the other end of the line. "You need to speak to Faragonda," she said seriously. "She is more knowledgeable than I of such things, plus if Fatinah was a student at Alfea, Faragonda will need to know this. Tomorrow at dawn, wait outside and I will come to take you to Magix."

Kendra caught her breath in trepidation. "How?"

Morgana chuckled. "I was Queen of the Fairies, remember?"

* * *

The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon when Kendra quietly snuck out of her apartment, trying to avoid waking her roommate. Wanting to make a good impression, she had dressed in a corduroy skirt and light sweater. Once she reached the sidewalk, she waited. There wasn't anyone in sight this early.

Something pricked her intuition, a feeling akin to the charged atmosphere after a thunderstorm. Then a miniature tornado of green and blue sparkles materialized next to her and coalesced into Morgana, who was in her fairy form. "Whoa," she breathed.

Morgana smiled at her, looking pleased that she'd taken Kendra off guard. "Good morning," she said. "Please, hold my hand and let's be off. Teleporting is uncomfortable for some; you can close your eyes if you want."

But Kendra's eyes were wide open with wonder as they were enveloped by the shimmering colours. The street faded away and was replaced with a courtyard paved in sand-coloured flagstones. In front of them was an arched gate flanked by two huge towers with blue roofs and cupolas. Past the towers was another courtyard crisscrossed by paths and grassy areas, and the largest castle that Kendra had ever seen. Like the towers and gate, its colour scheme was pink and blue.

"This is the Alfea College for Fairies," Morgana said proudly. "I decided to bring us to the front gate, just in case a protection spell is active. The teachers don't like people to pop in unannounced." She traced an oval shape in the air with one finger and a mirror-like object appeared. "Morgana and guest to see Headmistress Faragonda," she said to it.

A woman's voice issued from the mirror. "Welcome, Queen Morgana. Please come up to the office." Satisfied, Morgana waved her hand across the mirror and it vanished.

Kendra couldn't help but stare as the gate swung open and revealed the castle in its entirety. Many ordinary-looking young women carrying books and scrolls were walking across the courtyard, hardly sparing a glance toward her and Morgana. "Are all of them fairies?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"They certainly are," Morgana said as they walked toward the entrance. "Alfea is the most prestigious school for fairies in the Magic Dimension. Here they are taught how to control their powers and become guardians of their respective realms."

They passed through the huge ornate double doors, and navigated curved hallways and staircases until they arrived at a wooden door that magically opened for them.

The office beyond was decorated in the same palette as the outside of the castle but the colours were muted. In front of a multi-faceted window was a plain wooden desk, and a large oval-backed chair in which was sitting a white-haired woman who wore a ruffled white shirt under a blue blazer, and thick-rimmed triangular glasses. She stood as Morgana and Kendra approached, revealing a stylish pink skirt. "Welcome! Alfea is honoured to have such distinguished guests. What brings you here, Queen Morgana?"

"It's just Morgana now, Faragonda. I relinquished the crown and title a few months ago because I wanted to return to my family on Earth. Nebula is Queen now."

"Yes, so Roxy said." The woman gazed inquisitively at Kendra. "Will you be joining us here at Alfea, young lady?"

Kendra took a deep breath. "My name is Kendra, Headmistress. Morgana brought me because something happened to me that I don't understand."

"Then you're at the right place, Kendra," Faragonda said with a kind smile. "There's much to discuss. Morgana, if it's no inconvenience—"

"It's all right," Morgana said, and transformed herself back into her civilian appearance. "With your permission, I'll just explore a bit; it's been ages since I've been here. Just contact me when Kendra is ready." She gave a supportive grin to Kendra before departing.

Kendra sat down in a chair opposite the Headmistress, and then briefly explained her project on fairies, meeting Morgana in Gardenia, and the strange incidents that had beset her over the course of the term. "I'm just curious," she said finally, "but is it possible for a normal human to become a witch or a fairy?"

"Fairies and witches are magical creatures unto themselves," Faragonda said as she clasped her hands together in front of her. "They are usually born into families that have magical blood somewhere in their ancestry." She then stood and swept her right hand through the air. Green sparkles emanated from her fingers and swirled around a large oval-shaped mirror on one wall, which began to display images of different landscapes and curious creatures. "Occasionally their powers are gained from growing up in a magical environment or being exposed to a powerful aura."

Despite having witnessed what Morgana could do, Kendra was transfixed in awe at the sight of Miss Faragonda using magic so casually. In the back of her head she knew that technology could do something similar, but here there was no sign of any projectors, props, or lights. "None of those situations applies to me," she said with a sheepish grin, and then quickly held up her hands. "Anyway, I grew up on Earth, and from what I understand, magic has only reappeared there very recently."

Miss Faragonda waved her hand again and the mirror returned to normal. "That's correct. In some realms there are wizards, who attain their powers through meditation, study, and training. Headmaster Saladin of Red Fountain Academy is one." She walked back behind her desk. "Then there are people who gain magical abilities through the use of an item or artifact. But for a human to become a fairy..." Frowning thoughtfully, she reseated herself. "There has been no record of that happening, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. The Magic Dimension has existed since the beginning of time, and many secrets have been lost to the ages."

Kendra considered her situation. She could keep the incident to herself and go back home to face reality and try to restart her life as best she could. Or she could come clean and learn more about what had happened to her, and perhaps use her abilities for a greater purpose. "Headmistress," she said, "you need to know something."

"Go on," Miss Faragonda said encouragingly.

"Yesterday I met a girl named Fatinah, who told me that she came to school here."

The Headmistress gestured and a large book appeared in front of her, opening itself to a page. "Yes, she is studying here at Alfea," she verified. "A few days ago she'd asked permission to visit her family on Earth."

Of course the Headmistress would have the details of all the students. "I'm sorry to say that she won't be coming back," she informed her.

Miss Faragonda leaned forward abruptly. "What?"

Somewhat apprehensively, Kendra told her of the attack.

"How terrible!" the Headmistress cried in shock. "What did she do, then?"

After a pause Kendra replied sadly, "She chose to go back to her family, to spare her mother. I tried to encourage her to find an alternative but she wouldn't listen to me. Then she..." Her breath caught in her throat and she had to swallow hard to push through the nervousness that was creeping in on her. "She gave me her powers," she whispered at last. How would Miss Faragonda react to this development?

She said nothing for a few moments as she looked over Kendra carefully. "I know of fairy powers being stolen or suppressed, but not given in such a way. Please, tell me everything."

"Right after she told me that she would give up her powers, her outfit and wings changed. She said it was ironic that she attained her final form as she was about to cast it away."

Faragonda's eyes widened slightly; in surprise or anticipation, Kendra couldn't tell. "That would have been her Enchantix form. Fairies can achieve it only after making a great sacrifice for someone from their home planet, and apparently that qualified. Continue."

"Then she just held onto my shoulders. A beautiful light flowed into me, and she transformed back to normal and collapsed. I had to help her get home afterwards because she barely had strength to walk." She sniffed a bit, upset once more at the injustice of it. "I still wish there had been another way."

"It was her choice, and a commendable one it was," said Faragonda, her voice tinged with sadness as well as pride. "Which brings us to you. Have you felt any different since then? Or has anything strange happened?"

Kendra shook her head. "Nothing other than a sensation of warmth and light deep inside," she said, putting a hand on her chest.

"As I recall, Fatinah drew her power from sunlight, which would explain what you were feeling. However, since you are unlike her in nature and personality, the fairy power will most likely manifest in you in a different way." Faragonda smiled in reassurance. "The type of energy that you will identify with might not become apparent until you transform for the first time."

"How would I do that?" asked Kendra eagerly. "Morgana moved her hands in some sort of spell, but can I assume it would be different for each individual fairy?"

"Indeed, it's up to the fairy to choose what she believes is appropriate. In the simplest form, you would reach inside yourself for your power, and then shout 'Magic Winx'. Give it a try."

Kendra got up and moved to the middle of the room. "Magic Winx!"

Nothing happened. How disappointing!

"Don't worry about it," Faragonda consoled her. "It almost never occurs on the first attempt. Give yourself some time to think about what we've talked about. It'll happen when you're ready."


	5. Revelations

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 5: Revelations

Encouraged by her conversations with Morgana and Miss Faragonda, Kendra headed to the university library after Morgana dropped her off at home. She wanted to read up on the various fairy myths of Earth and compare them to what she knew now. Perhaps that might give her some insight on her circumstances.

There was also the matter of her academic standing. She was allowed to appeal her grades to the department chair if she had a genuine reason to do so. However she would have to provide a convincing argument, and as far as she remembered there had been little direct evidence to support her theory that someone had been trying to sabotage her.

She was browsing a volume of magical tales from Morocco and Western Africa when someone behind her reached out and rudely slammed the book closed. Annoyed, she turned in her chair to see Cyndi smirking at her. "What do you want?" she asked in disdain.

Cyndi tossed her head. "I heard that you were here, so I decided to see what you were up to." She glanced at the assortment of books on the table. "Still fixated on your fairy stories, huh?"

Kendra had no desire to tell her about her quest. Instead she decided to give a more plausible reason for being here. "I'm researching possible topics for an alternate submission." She glared at Cyndi resolutely. "In other words, I'm doing my project again. So please let me concentrate."

The statement caused Cyndi to launch into a hissy fit. "You got permission to..." She was rendered speechless for a few seconds. "It's not fair!" Several students sitting nearby hissed at her, so she lowered her voice. "What makes you think you'll do any better this time?"

"There are no guarantees, of course," Kendra said, and then continued in an accusing tone, "but you know all about that, don't you?" It was ill-mannered of her to goad Cyndi, but if she was lucky, maybe the girl would slip and mention something about the mysterious events that had been happening.

Cyndi smirked again. "Well then, I figured you'd wonder how you failed," she said conversationally as she stepped across the aisle and drew a finger across a row of books. They started to smoulder, but Kendra couldn't see any sort of incendiary device in her hand. "I was on vacation with my family last summer—boring!—when I found a weird piece of metal with a gem in it that had washed up onto the shore of a lake. When I touched it I felt something ram into me like I'd been struck by lightning, and then it broke into pieces." She reached the end of the row and started on the next one; now the books were all aflame. "It wasn't long before I noticed that I could do some crazy stuff. You know those stories they tell about goblins and witches to scare you when you're a kid? Guess what: you're looking at one!"

Kendra stared at her in astonishment. A witch? So _that_ was it! The theft of her research notes, the mangling of her reports, the troubles in the auditorium... it had all been done by magic. No wonder nobody had been able to understand! And now Cyndi had taken it to the next level by using her powers to commit a genuinely evil act.

With dozens of books as fuel, the fire quickly intensified. Kendra heard shouts of other students who were attempting to escape the flames and smoke. Despite the noise she could also hear Cyndi laughing.

"This is where the villain of the story usually says, 'It's all part of my horrendous plot, and it's nothing personal.' But I'm happy to tell you that this IS personal!" Cyndi said with a wide grin. "For years I've had to put up with being in your shadow, but that ends today!"

Kendra could hardly believe her ears. She had never realized that was how Cyndi had felt. Like everyone else in their class she had simply assumed that Cyndi had a spiteful attitude. "Fine!" she hollered as she bolted out of her seat. "You made me a laughingstock! I'm not able to graduate! What more do you want? What's the point of damaging a library?"

"To make you suffer more, of course! You're always the one with a book in your hands; you always have all the answers. Well, let me tell you something, Miss Know-it-All: all your precious smarts come from a bunch of processed trees. You don't know anything about the real world!" Cyndi turned and ran out.

A storm of indignation like nothing Kendra had felt before welled up inside her, and in that moment she knew what she needed to do. Flinging her arms above her head, she formed her hands into the shape of the Celtic three-lobed symbol of preservation. "MAGIC WINX!"

Golden light surrounded her and coalesced into a sparkling pale yellow tank top and matching frilled skirt before washing down her legs to form a pair of yellow knee-length boots with burgundy soles and accents. A belt of interlocking gold ringlets appeared around her waist, with matching bangles on both her wrists, and a burgundy choker. Two pale yellow wings with burgundy tips emerged from her back.

For a second she stood amazed. She had transformed! But there was no time to admire her new look, as the blaze was roaring from one stack of books to the next. The library's sprinklers had activated but the deluge didn't seem to be doing much against the fire, and Kendra deduced that its magical nature made it difficult to extinguish.

Fire required three things to exist: heat, fuel, and air; remove one and it would go out. She couldn't easily take away the heat, and there were too many flammable books around. However she might be able to smother it somehow! She ran into a relatively smoke-free aisle to one side of the fire and reached out toward it, concentrating hard. Words flashed into her mind. "Judgment Barrier!"

A wall of golden energy extended from floor to ceiling, cutting off the burning area from the rest of the room. Within a few moments, the fire used up the available oxygen within the container and slowly flickered out. She'd done it! After waiting another minute or two to ensure that the flames wouldn't rekindle, she waved her hands to abolish the barrier.

Now she had to find Cyndi. She was still responsible for the fire, whether she had used magic or not, and had to be caught. Kendra ran in the direction that Cyndi had gone, past several surprised firefighters who were in the process of bringing hoses into the building. Outside was a crowd of worried staff and students milling around; too many to spot a single person.

Wait a second. She was now a fairy. She had wings. Fairies could fly! Hurrying around a corner of the building and out of sight of the people, she thought quickly. All Earth creatures that were capable of flight had a complex set of muscles that controlled their wings. But she didn't feel any such musculature in her back, and the wings were far too small to realistically bear a human's weight on their own. So for a magical creature, perhaps flight was simply a matter of will?

She relaxed, imagining herself to be light enough to lift on the wind, and bent her knees to push off from the ground. Her wings flapped as if of their own accord, and slowly she rose into the air. A feeling of wonder and joy coursed through her, for all of her childhood dreams were coming alive in this moment. She was about level with the second-story windows of the building before she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

There was no sign of Cyndi in the crowd below. Movement in the distance caught her eye, and she could just see her rival running full pelt down the street. Orienting herself in that direction, she reached forward and found herself hurtling through the air at a rapid pace, catching up to Cyndi _much_ more quickly than she had anticipated. The shock of it broke her concentration and she fell to the ground hard.

Cyndi heard the sound behind her and stopped, turning around as Kendra shakily clambered to her feet. The look of absolute horror on her face was priceless.

Kendra called out, "It's over, Cyndi!"

The other girl could only gape. "You... what are you?" Her face contorted in fury. "I'm supposed to be the only one with magic!"

"I got lucky." She wasn't about to tell this witch the story of her powers now. "You're coming with me to face justice for setting that fire!"

"What makes you think you'll take me down that easily?" Cyndi sneered, and raised one hand with a flourish. "Scarlet Sphere!" A compact ball of fire formed in her hand and she threw it toward Kendra.

She barely managed to dodge it, and the fireball impacted on the sidewalk, leaving a black mark. This was escalating far too quickly for her liking! She really didn't want to hurt Cyndi, but it seemed her rival was giving her no choice but to fight. Being a neophyte fairy, she had no idea what to do or say to cast any spells, except the one that had popped into her head earlier.

Cyndi hurled another fireball but Kendra ducked low and it passed over her head, scorching a street sign. "Dodge all you like, I'll get you eventually," she boasted. "Scarlet Sphere!" This one detonated at Kendra's feet and blew her backwards onto the pavement.

As she scrambled upright Kendra knew that she had to stop Cyndi quickly. Having no other recourse, she focused on her opponent and raised her hands. "Judgment Barrier!" The golden energy wall rose from the ground and formed a three-meter high, square-shaped prison around Cyndi.

To her surprise, the other girl laughed. "Are you serious? Like that's going to hold me!" Cyndi took flight, rising above the barrier. "Flying was one of the first tricks I figured out! Let's see you try it, Miss Know-it-All!"

The insult served only to make her more determined to defeat her rival once and for all. She launched herself skyward and dispelled the now unnecessary wall before pursuing Cyndi who was attempting to fly away. What had Miss Faragonda said? She had to reach inside herself for her power. But so far, her energy source remained a mystery to her. The only thing that she was really good at was studying, as many of her friends had mentioned.

Wait... studying was simply a search for knowledge. And as the old saying went, knowledge was power. _That_ was her source! Her realization caused a wellspring to open up within her mind, and all became clear.

Coming to a hover, she took aim at Cyndi. "Expert Strike!" A golden ray lanced from her fingers toward the fleeing witch and struck her in the back.

Cyndi faltered but managed to recover herself and faced Kendra angrily. "So that's how you want it? Try this on for size!" She reached out with both hands. "Triple Play!" Instead of one fireball, three shot forth.

She held up her left arm defensively. "Astute Shield!" A circular energy construct appeared on her arm and the fireballs impacted on it, pushing her backward slightly but otherwise they were ineffective. It was time to put an end to this before anyone got caught in the crossfire. "Web of Knowledge!" An orb of light emerged from her right hand and raced toward Cyndi, unfolding into a net that entangled her arms and upper body. The witch struggled but couldn't break free, and tumbled down to earth.

Kendra willed her shield away and landed next to Cyndi, wondering what could be done with her. It was likely that no normal prison would hold her, not with the powers she had. For now though, it was the only option. She flagged down a passing taxi driver and asked him to use his radio to contact the police.


	6. Action

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter Six: Action

As Cyndi was handcuffed and taken to a squad car, Kendra noticed that she was attracting quite a few curious glances from the police officers and passers-by. She didn't worry much about it though, since she figured that people would think that she had been attending some sort of costume party. When an officer asked if she would give a statement, she agreed to do so provided she could go home and change first.

Thankfully her roommate wasn't there to ask questions, and it didn't take her long to learn how to revert to her normal form. Afterwards she quickly went to the police station where she gave her statement, along with several other students who had been in the library at the time of the fire. All the witnesses agreed that there had been an argument between Cyndi and Kendra, followed by Cyndi starting the fire. Curiously there had been no matches, cigarette lighter, or other fire-starting device found either on Cyndi or at the scene; it was assumed that she had disposed of it after fleeing.

Her civic duty thus done, Kendra returned to the library to gather what she could of her possessions (still soaking wet from the sprinklers) before going back to her apartment once more to eat and begin to work on the appeal for her grades. It was a long shot, particularly since she had no proof other than Cyndi's own word that she had intended to sabotage Kendra's work, but she had to try.

Over the next few days she tracked down some of her classmates and teachers, hoping to find out if any of them had seen or heard anything incriminating about Cyndi. One teacher recalled seeing Cyndi lurking around the staff offices not long after Kendra had submitted her report. One of the Delta Crew, having heard about Cyndi's role in the library fire, broke the Crew's code of silence and said that Cyndi had frequently threatened that she would "get" Kendra and had boasted openly about stealing her books and research notes - although she never admitted _how_ she did it.

By the end of the week Kendra had prepared her case as much as she could. Her missive included copies of her course work and letters that detailed the events of the term, her suspicions of Cyndi, and the supporting evidence. Then she submitted the documents to the university's Student Records Office and mentally prepared herself for a long wait while the academics dealt with it.

However she wasn't going to sit idle until their decision. With the school library now off-limits to students until the fire damage could be cleaned up and repaired, she applied for an account at the local community library in order to continue her research. There wasn't nearly as much material available there but they had a stable Internet connection which would suffice.

She also spoke several times on the phone with Morgana about the situation, and asked the former Fairy Queen if she would sponsor Kendra's application to Alfea College.

Morgana was delighted. "It's impossible to not be impressed by the place, isn't it?" she said. "You'd have to work hard to catch up. Most girls begin their studies at sixteen, and you're what, twenty?"

"I'll be twenty-one in a few months," Kendra replied. "Even if I am successful at getting my grade revised and receiving my Anthropology degree, this whole thing has left a stain on my record. I want to do something fresh and learn more about what I've become."

"That's a wise decision," Morgana complimented. "I'm certain Faragonda will be pleased."

Despite everything that had happened, by far one of the most difficult tasks that Kendra had to do was to contact her parents via video-chat and tell them that her degree was in doubt. They had been helping to pay for the university tuition, because the scholarship she had earned wasn't sufficient and her part-time job only covered her living expenses.

Her father was understandably angry, but was somewhat mollified when she told him that she was in the process of an appeal. However when she mentioned that she was considering "graduate studies" at a foreign college, he was skeptical.

"We can't be certain that would be worth it unless you find a job in the field," he said. "With your brother entering college next term, I don't know if we can support another year, possibly two, of your dabbling."

She hesitated; she hadn't thought to ask about the fees at Alfea, or even if there were any. What would fairies need with money when they could produce almost everything by magic? "I'll inquire about a possible scholarship," she promised. "They should recognize my grade point average and credentials. When I have all the details I'll let you know."

For the remainder of the call she dutifully listened to the family news and her father's proud embellishments of her brother's achievements. She loved her family, which made it hard sometimes to be away like this. And Alfea was much further. Fleetingly she wondered if that was why Fatinah had come back, because she missed her family despite all their strictness.

That aside, Kendra just knew that attending Alfea was going to be the best thing that she could do for herself at this stage. Winning against Cyndi that day had been sheer luck, given that she had just transformed herself for the first time. If she were to face Cyndi or her like again in the future, she had to be prepared.

The middle of May crept closer and Kendra fretted daily that the official graduation ceremony would pass before she had any word from the university regarding her appeal. To keep herself occupied, during her spare time she read through as much fairy mythology as she get her hands on, from Grimm's Fairy Tales to "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter".

One interesting detail that she noticed was that the majority of these stories dated from before the nineteenth century when they had been committed to writing. Very few were recorded after that, other than alternate versions of already existing tales. It was as if the myths had simply stopped, having no new inspiration.

There were references in the mythology of several countries to the "Wild Hunt" which, if seen, was said to presage some catastrophe. Morgana had mentioned during one of their conversations that long ago, a clan of dark wizards had scoured the Earth and hunted down all the fairies, stealing their magic and imprisoning them. Could all these events have been related? Was it possible that the dark wizards' vendetta had been interpreted as one such "Wild Hunt" prior to the fairies' disappearance and the cessation of the myths?

This theory seemed to be supported by the fact that Cyndi had apparently gained her powers after picking up a magical artifact. Many legendary creatures were mentioned to possess devices or treasures of some sort. Such items would have been lost when their owners were captured by the dark wizards, meaning that an untold number of magical relics could still be out there.

Kendra caught her breath in trepidation. Miss Faragonda had said that a non-magical being could use these items; therefore it was conceivable that any human who found such an artifact could exploit it for good or ill depending on the circumstances. Cyndi had certainly done so with devastating effect.

She had to inform Morgana and Miss Faragonda about this.

The next day, Kendra once again stepped into Miss Faragonda's office at Alfea along with Morgana. Also there was a slender, severe-looking woman who wore a dark red dress with a high collar. Her violet hair was styled in a short wedge cut. Miss Faragonda introduced her as Headmistress Griffin of Cloud Tower, a school for witches.

When the initial pleasantries were out of the way, Kendra outlined her theory and then told them about Cyndi. All three women were surprised.

Faragonda asked, "Did she tell you what the item looked like?"

"Only that it was a piece of metal with a gem in it."

Morgana gestured, and in her hand appeared a two-meter long staff. One end of it flared out into a diamond shape that held a green spherical gem the size of a baseball. "This is a weapon that's often used by Warrior Fairies," she said. "From your description, it sounds like Cyndi found something like this." She indicated the top part.

"If it's a fairy staff, why would it imbue someone with witch powers?" Kendra asked.

"Many magical items simply store spell energy," Faragonda said. "Anyone can use that energy if they have an affinity for magic in some way."

Griffin nodded thoughtfully. "So if that young woman was able to absorb the staff's energy, I'd say she had such potential from the beginning."

"And her malicious nature caused that energy to manifest as fire," Kendra concluded. "Now she believes herself to be a witch. So my concern is that other people who find these remnants could also gain powers. Everything on Earth would change."

"It's already changing," Morgana reminded her. "The Winx Club started that last year. As you've discovered, change spreads in ways that are difficult to predict and even more difficult to believe in."

"That's quite true," Miss Griffin agreed, "but Kendra has a valid point. It might be prudent to track down and retrieve any remaining magical relics on Earth so they can't be abused."

Faragonda gave a soft sigh and turned to look out the window for a moment. "Unfortunately the Winx are tasked with defeating Tritannus and can't take on any new responsibilities right now."

"I'll do it," Kendra found herself saying. The others turned toward her and she flushed in embarrassment and excitement. "After all that's happened, I feel that it's my responsibility to prevent any more people like Cyndi from causing trouble."

"It's likely to be a lengthy quest," cautioned Miss Faragonda. "We don't know how many items survived the wizards' purge, or where they are."

"Perhaps not," Kendra acknowledged eagerly, "but there must be clues in Earth's mythology as well as in records here. If I had permission to use Alfea's library, I could do comparisons." Then she winced, mentally chastising herself for being so presumptuous.

Miss Griffin chuckled in amusement. "Imagine that, Faragonda: someone who actually wants to study."

"It's unusual for non-students to use the facilities," Miss Faragonda said, "but I can fast-track your application since you already have a recommendation from the former Queen of the Fairies herself." She sent a wry glance at Morgana. "You may consider yourself a student as of tomorrow." Smiling genially she walked over to shake Kendra's hand. "Good luck."

Thrilled, Kendra grinned at all of them. "Thank you!"


	7. Results

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter Seven: Results

Kendra checked her e-mail and phone messages after arriving home from Alfea, and received some troubling news. First, Cyndi's parents had bailed her out of jail and were keeping her at home until her hearing got underway. She was expected to plead "guilty" considering all the evidence against her, which would allow her to forego a trial.

Second, the Chair of Anthropology at the university had reviewed her appeal case and wanted her to attend a department meeting so he could give his verdict. What bothered her was that the decision had been reached much more quickly than she had anticipated, so was that good or bad? The meeting was to be in a few days, which would give her some time to search for any references to magic artifacts that could have been lost during the dark wizards' fairy extermination.

She quickly realized how enormous the task was. In the European-based fairy tales alone there were dozens of stories that featured ordinary people who had come upon magical items by various means. Assuming some truth there, said items might have been secretly passed down through generations until they were forgotten, were somehow destroyed, or lost their power. Only those items that belonged to or were associated specifically with fairies at the time of the purge would be applicable.

What she needed to do, she decided, was create a digital database of all the available Earth tales. The next time she was able to visit Alfea she would bring it and use the library facilities there to cross-reference it with records in the Magic Dimension. That would certainly be much easier than reading through hundreds of stories one at a time. She was not as conversant with the required software as some of her friends were, but since this was her quest she stubbornly decided to do it on her own, no matter how long it took.

Three days later after spending almost every waking moment on the database except for when she worked the evening shift at her part-time job, she had the framework complete and ready to link the stories. Her roommate was getting worried due to the fact that she'd hardly been sleeping, but Kendra brushed it off.

"I understand what you're saying, Candice, but this project is too important to me."

"More important than your meeting today?" was the retort. "Or did you forget?"

"Today?" she asked in a panic. "I thought it was tomorrow!"

"It's today," insisted Candice. "The university phoned last night with a reminder while you were at work. I wrote you a note but either you didn't look at it or you were too tired to notice."

She honestly didn't remember. "I—"

"Here," Candice interrupted, shoving a travel mug at her. "It's gunpowder tea. I thought you'd need some. Now get changed and get out of here." She smiled warmly. "Good luck."

Within the hour, Kendra arrived at the Anthropology department's conference room, the same room in which she had delivered her ill-fated presentation a few weeks ago. There she was welcomed by the dean of the Arts faculty, the Anthropology department chair, one of the Student Affairs coordinators, Professor Munroe, and several other professors.

All of them had been impressed with her work and the way she had presented her appeal. It was clear to them that she was intelligent, determined, and had a strong sense of justice. In light of the evidence she had presented and the events that had occurred, they had decided to allow a revision of her final grade. From here it would be up to Professor Munroe to re-examine her submissions and update her mark as he saw fit.

It was all she could do to not shriek in delight like a kid. All of her effort had paid off! She gave sincere thanks to the people present, and managed to contain her excitement until she had left the building and reached the forecourt, where for a few moments she danced about crazily as if to an imaginary piece of music. Her antics drew a few stares but she was too happy to mind.

The first thing she did when she got back to the apartment was to grab Candice's hands and skip around her in a circle. "I did it! I did it!" she exulted.

"Good for you!" the other girl said happily. "I have more good news. My management internship finally got approved, so I'll be staying here for a while longer. And..." she paused for effect, "I finished that database you were working on. It only took a short time for me to understand what you were trying to do."

Kendra sobered somewhat. "How? Wait, I didn't ask you for help."

"No, you didn't, but it was obvious to me that you needed help, particularly since you've been driving yourself into the ground working on the thing." She held up a finger to quell Kendra's protest. "I know what you're going to say. I was able to access it because you forgot to lock your computer before you left. Your sleep-deprived brain has gone mushy."

Her elation subsided as fatigue began to set in, and she nodded meekly. "Thank you." Despite herself, she yawned.

Candice pointed down the hall. "Get some rest; you have a shift in a few hours. Then maybe you can tell me what this is all about. It's not cool for roommates to keep secrets."

When Kendra got back after work she sat down with Candice, and over a late supper, told her about how the final project for her Mythology and Occultism course had led her to Gardenia, and subsequently to Alfea.

"Is this Alfea the place where you've been disappearing to early in the morning?" Candice asked. "It must be close by if you could get back before lunch."

"It is and it isn't," Kendra said carefully. "A friend of mine picks me up and takes me there. I don't know how to get there on my own yet." She continued, describing her meetings with Morgana and Miss Faragonda, but wording her story to avoid mentioning magic and fairies. Candice didn't need to know that yet. "So they asked me to help search for these lost relics, which is why I was building the database. I want to compare the stories to their historical records and look for clues, and this seemed the most efficient way to do it."

"That doesn't seem so bad," Candice said with a nod, "but why all the secrecy?"

"It's for security reasons, like what archaeologists do, you know? They don't publicize what they find until they've mapped the site and recovered any artifacts, so that treasure-seekers and other curious people won't come along and ruin anything."

"I never thought of you as an Indiana Jones type," Candice said with a chuckle.

"I'm not," Kendra protested. "I'm just a bookworm. Anyway, I'm expected to go back to Alfea tomorrow, so I need to get ready."

"I wish I could go with you," Candice admitted ruefully, "but I have to work. From what you've said it sounds like a great place. Let me know how it turns out."

* * *

Like the previous occasions, Morgana picked her up at sunrise the next morning. Once at Alfea, Miss Faragonda introduced them to Miss Barbatea, the school librarian, and Alice, a second-year fairy with wavy orange hair that she wore in a ponytail. Because the search required both technological and mystical elements, the two women had developed a special console that would interface with the library's magical research system.

"I can't express how much this will help," Kendra said thankfully. "Simply saying 'thank you' seems inadequate."

Alice smiled. "It was a challenge. There might still be some problems with it, given that we haven't fully tested the program. But go ahead and give it a try."

Opening her purse, Kendra withdrew the memory stick that her database was stored on and plugged it into the corresponding port in the console. "Now what?"

Miss Barbatea addressed the room. "Scan the attached database and cross-reference Magix historical records regarding fairy-owned magical items on Earth that were lost prior to or during the campaign of the Wizards of the Black Circle."

The air in the room seemed to ripple. Suddenly books began to fly off the shelves, flip through their pages, and then return to their original locations.

"It might take a while to find something," Miss Barbatea cautioned as she glanced at the progress readout on the screen. "There's several hundred years' worth of material to process."

However they were all surprised that the program began to show results within a few minutes. One of the first matches that came up was one that Kendra instantly recognized. "The Scabbard," she pointed out. "It was originally the sheath for King Arthur's magical sword Excalibur, but was stolen by the sorceress known as—" She stopped, as her mouth had suddenly gone dry.

"Morgan Le Fay," said Morgana in soft voice. "Yes."

Kendra stared at her. "That was you?"

The former Fairy Queen nodded. "I was young and hot-headed then. King Arthur killed my first love, in what you would call a case of mistaken identity. I knew I shouldn't blame him, but I was so upset at the time that I stole the Scabbard and threw it into a lake." She sighed sadly. "Since I'd been imprisoned for so long by the Wizards of the Black Circle, I'd forgotten all about it."

"What could the Scabbard do?" asked Alice as she peered at the screen.

"The bearer cannot die from any wound or loss of blood," Morgana replied. "Such a power would make anyone invincible."

"Then let's start looking into it," said Kendra with determination.

Morgana held up a hand. "_I_ will look into it," she said firmly. "The Scabbard's loss is my mistake to correct. There are other possibilities; see which is best suited for you, and I suggest you enlist help from other fairies if they can be spared from their classes. You've done much already, and you don't need to face this adventure alone."

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to my readers for being patient and I'm sorry for the long delay. First I was away, then I got sick, and I've been dealing with a lot of personal stuff. Don't worry if any new chapters take a long time to post. The story will go on._


	8. Rough Winds

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter Eight: Rough Winds

After Morgana left the library to begin her search for King Arthur's lost Scabbard, Kendra studied the remaining magical items that were listed on the console. One that piqued her interest had something to do with a Japanese tale about an ancient pine tree that was said to bring luck to young lovers.

"What can be special about a tree?" asked Alice when Kendra drew her attention to it. "It doesn't seem much like an artifact. Besides, that story was recorded over a hundred years ago; surely any such tree would be dead or cut down by now."

"Japanese pines can live at least three hundred years," Kendra informed her. "The culture reveres long-lived trees and considers them to be holy. Assuming this story was about a real tree, chances are it could still be standing, especially if there was magic involved."

The librarian, Miss Barbatea, reached up and one of the books that were still floating around came to her hand. She skimmed a page and then asked, "That might be so, but what makes you think this tree is an artifact?"

Kendra considered for a moment. "Perhaps not the tree itself, but something associated with it. I think the story does mention several types of spirits that dwell in its branches."

"It's your call," Alice conceded. "Where is it located?"

The book in Barbatea's hand flipped a few of its pages, and she lifted it up to show a map. "It was planted in... Ta-ka-sa-ga, which is in the province of... Ha-ree-ma," she said, stumbling over the Japanese words.

Out of habit Kendra took out her smartphone and opened up a browser window, but there was no connection. She groaned when she remembered that she wasn't on Earth and couldn't access the Internet.

Alice chuckled good-naturedly. "Here: a little trick I picked up from Tecna a few months ago." She flicked her fingers, sending a wave of orange sparkles around the phone. Its case changed from plain black to a pink and burgundy tie-dye design. "It's now Internet enabled and magic compatible. Go on, give it a try."

Words failed Kendra as she opened the browser again and discovered that it worked. The magic here was amazing, and not to mention extremely useful! She cleared her throat and started a search. "Harima Province is part of what is now Hyogo Prefecture on the island of Honshu, Japan. There is a town called Takasago within that area."

"So, what do we do now?" Alice asked.

"Morgana suggested that we assemble a team, and I agree with her," said Kendra. "It would make things easier. You know more than I do about the students here and their powers, so could you recommend anyone?"

"Actually," said Alice with a grin, "I can. Some of my roommates would go. They'll be out of their morning classes soon, so give me half an hour and we can all meet at the main entrance." She hurried away before Kendra could say anything else.

"You'll need transportation," Barbatea said as if she had anticipated Kendra's thought. "There's a regular shuttle from the Schools of Magic to the home worlds of all the students, but since only a few are from Earth, the shuttle there departs on a by-request basis. Alice knows what to do."

After a quick visit to Alfea's supply room to get a few things that she thought might be needed, Kendra met Alice at the entrance. With her were three other girls, whom she quickly introduced. Emma wore a puffy-sleeved lavender T-shirt, red capris with sandals, and kept her red-orange hair in pigtails. Marzia had short blue hair held in a yellow headband and wore a red sleeveless top, yellow pants, and purple shoes. A tall girl with a long purple braid who was wearing an orange and yellow outfit reminiscent of Middle-Eastern Earth styles was named Trista.

It struck Kendra that many girls in the Magic Dimension seemed to have a preference for extremely colourful clothing. The Alfea staff that she had met, on the other hand, wore outfits that were much more muted. "Thank you all for volunteering," she said.

"No problem," said Marzia. "The term's almost over anyway. Besides, none of us have earned our Charmix yet and you can't do that while sitting in a classroom."

"Charmix?" she asked as they walked across the courtyard toward the castle gates.

"It's a temporary power-up that second year students are eligible for," explained Trista. "You have to face your fears or something like that."

Emma boasted, "I'm not afraid of anything."

"Here's the shuttle," Alice said.

The vehicle that glided to a stop in front of the gates was unlike any that Kendra had ever seen. It was the size of a small bus but snub-nosed and very streamlined like a bullet train. She couldn't see any wheels or other obvious means of locomotion and had to assume it was propelled by magic or a highly futuristic power source. The driver, or pilot, waved at them and a ramp extended from the door that opened in the shuttle's near side.

After they all were seated and the door closed, Kendra explained to the operator where they wanted to go. He entered coordinates into his console, and the shuttle accelerated and lifted off the ground. Once it had attained some height it was surrounded by a whirlpool of colours and electrical discharges for a few seconds, and then burst into an eerie space full of coruscating waves.

Kendra stared out a window. "Is this... hyperspace?" The effect certainly seemed similar to what she had seen in many science fiction films.

The girls all giggled at her innocent question but the operator said, "It's an inter-dimensional wormhole, actually. However there are shuttles that do travel through hyperspace when required." A few moments later there was a sensation of slowing; the vehicle once again was enveloped in the colourful whirlpool, and dark blue skies appeared outside the windows. Down below was a seaside town. "The cloak is engaged. I'll drop you off near the outskirts so people won't be frightened by five girls appearing out of thin air. I have no other drop-offs today so I can wait for you." He handed Kendra a device that looked similar to a cellphone. "Use this locator to find your way back."

"Everybody, remember where we parked," Kendra joked as they exited.

Emma looked around and asked, "Why is it so dark?"

The skies were indeed dark and sprinkled with stars. Although the streets were brightly lit, there was no human activity and the shops were closed. Kendra did a quick calculation. "It was morning when Morgana and I left to go to Alfea, and I was at the library for less than an hour. We're halfway around the world from where I live, so here it's late at night."

"At least that'll make it easier to look around without worrying about the locals," said Trista. "None of us understand that weird writing that they seem to have here." She pointed at a sign that bore the Japanese pictorial script.

"Girls, I've got a reading," Alice announced as she held her cellphone out in front of her. The rest of them gathered around her to see a tiny radar-like screen that displayed six blips. "This app registers magical signatures. These are us." She indicated five that were clustered together. "And this farther one might be what we're looking for."

Despite the darkness they decided to not transform unless necessary, to avoid alarming anyone that might see them. It took some time to reach the place because they had to follow the streets in a zig-zag manner; there were few that went straight in that direction. Eventually, at the southeastern edge of the city, they came upon a large park that sloped downward toward a pebbly beach. The park was dominated by an old Japanese pine tree that was about fifteen meters tall, and around its trunk was a cord from which hung many pieces of braided paper.

"Wow," Trista whispered.

"It's a tree," Emma scoffed. "Big deal."

"Be respectful," Trista retorted. "I know a sacred place when I see one."

"We should fan out and search," Kendra suggested. "Maybe if—" She stopped as she heard something down on the beach: a crunching noise that sounded like someone was walking across the shingle. But she couldn't see anybody there. "Do you all hear something?"

Nobody answered as a sudden gust of chilly wind blew through the area, biting through their clothes and shaking the branches of the tree. At the same time, the grass parted in various places as if a dozen tiny animals were wending their way through it.

"What's going on?" cried Alice.

The wind intensified and the sounds began to take on a rhythm that seemed almost like words but Kendra couldn't quite make them out. She got the definite impression that something didn't want them here!

Wide-eyed with fear, Marzia exclaimed, "It's haunted!" and ran back the way they had come.

"Wait!" Kendra yelled after her, but she kept going.

Something began to form in front of the tree, a hazy gray shape that looked vaguely like a face. "Run!" said an airy voice. With that, a blast of wind roared outward from the tree in all directions and toppled anything that wasn't anchored, including the girls.

"I think this qualifies as an emergency!" Kendra said as she scrambled to her feet and raised her hands. The others followed suit.

"MAGIC WINX!"

Golden light coalesced into a sparkling pale yellow tank top and matching frilled skirt before washing down her legs to form a pair of yellow knee-length boots with burgundy soles and accents. A belt of interlocking gold ringlets appeared around her waist, with matching bangles on both her wrists, and a burgundy choker. Two pale yellow wings with burgundy tips emerged from her back. She struck a pose. "Kendra, Fairy of Knowledge!"

There wasn't time to check out what her companions' fairy forms looked like. What was clear to her was that some sort of spirit dwelled in the tree and was attacking them for coming too near. But why? "Please stop!" she yelled. "We're not your enemies!"

A dozen pairs of red eyes appeared amongst the tree's branches. "_Raiaa!_" The glowing specks floated out of the branches and rapidly circled each other until they formed a whirling vortex. Then the twister separated into several smaller ones, each picking up one of the fairies and hurling them to the far edge of the park.

Emma sat up with a groan. "That does it!" She raised a glowing red fist.

"Don't hurt the tree!" Trista gasped.

Alice demanded, "Do you have any better ideas?"

"Let me try something," Kendra said as she rose unsteadily. "Judgment Barrier!" Her energy wall surrounded the tree in a square shape, but despite her intense focus she could only raise it to half the tree's height. What a time to discover her spell's limit!

Another howling squall issued from the tree, but its effect was lessened considerably by the golden barrier. Then the red eyes reappeared and started to dive-bomb the girls, passing within centimeters of their faces.

Kendra finally realized something. "I don't think it's really trying to hurt us; it's just trying to scare us away!"

"It could have fooled me!" retorted Emma, who was trying to cover her head with her arms.

"Enough!" hollered a voice, and the girls all turned to see that Marzia had come back. Like them she was now in her fairy form, but with two noticeable differences: a gem-like brooch on her chest and a small pouch at her waist. "Hey you, tree spirit! I'm not scared of your ghost tricks any more! Give us a minute to explain!"

With an abrupt inspiration, Kendra called, "We're fairies from Alfea! We just want to talk to you!"

To their surprise, the gale lessened and the red eyes dissipated. Kendra abolished her spell and the five of them hesitantly approached the tree, which now looked completely normal. A moment later, the bark of the main trunk and the lowest two branches churned and shifted... and out of the tree stepped a fairy like them! She was short and of obvious Japanese heritage, with elegant wings that reminded Kendra of the Enchantix wings that Fatinah had earned at the moment of her sacrifice.

"You are of Alfea?" she asked slowly in English. "No wizards?"

Trista said gently, "The Wizards of the Black Circle are gone."

The fairy sighed in immense relief and a tear rolled down one cheek, which was quickly joined by more. Trista, who was closest, reached out with both arms to offer comfort, and the fairy lurched forward into her embrace and wept for a few minutes. Soon she stood back, sniffed, and wiped her tears away. "_Gomen nasai_. I am sorry. Chinatsu is my name. Long, long time I was hiding. So they would not find me, I became one with the tree. Having little hope for myself, I bring hope to many."

"You don't have to worry any more," Alice said fervently. "You can come back to Alfea with us if you want."

With a sad shake of her head, Chinatsu replied, "_Masaka_. Impossible. The tree... shares my essence. Without, it will quickly die."

Emma rounded on Kendra in exasperation. "So, remind me why we came all this way?"

"We're looking for something magical that was lost here, like a..." Kendra tried to think of an appropriate word that the Japanese fairy would understand. "A treasure or a talisman."

Chinatsu nodded solemnly. "You seek this." She held out her hands and in them was a tiny green orb the size of a ping pong ball. "It is known as _fuuju_, or wind jewel. It is said to have been planted by a god, and spawned a tree: an ancestor of this tree, in fact." She indicated the pine that stood behind her. "When I first came here, I sensed it and knew I had to protect it."

The five girls exchanged glances, and then Kendra said, "You have done an excellent job all this time, and have earned the right to hold it." She bowed.

Chinatsu gratefully returned the bow. "_Arigato gozaimasu_." She walked back under the tree's branches.

"We're just going to leave it here?" Marzia asked as they turned to depart. "After we went through all that?"

"We were after a lost item. Technically it's not lost any more, and it has a capable guardian," Kendra pointed out. "I see no reason for us to disturb things any further. By the way: congratulations."

The others gave Marzia their own praise as they all headed back to the shuttle.


	9. Complications

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter Nine: Complications

"When I said I wanted to see the world, this was not what I had in mind!" cried Clarice as the driving snow around them increased to blizzard intensity. Her long pigtails became more white than blonde.

Alice panted, "Kendra, didn't you say that this Father Frost person was friendly?"

"That was before Emma insulted his beard!" Kendra yelled back.

"Oh sure, blame me for everything!" hollered Emma as she slogged through the deepening snow and hung onto a tree for support. "I was trying to sound cool, you know!"

Trista grunted in disgust and wrapped her arms around her body in a vain attempt to warm herself. "If you can't understand the language, don't make up words just to show off!"

"Astute Shield!" Kendra raised her left arm and her energy shield appeared. Holding it in front of her, she tried to move toward the fog-shrouded figure in the distance but couldn't make much headway against the gale. "_My sozhaleyem!_" she called out. She knew her pronunciation of the Russian was atrocious but she had to try something before they all froze. "We're sorry!"

Trista was violently lifted up in the air by a snow-filled whirlwind, unable to even stabilize herself because her wingtips were coated with ice. "I hate this! I hate this!" she screamed repeatedly as she was deposited into the top branches of a nearby tree that a few minutes ago had sported spring greenery but was now snow-covered.

"You're the one who should be apologizing, Emma!" Alice pointed out as she cowered behind a bush that was offering scant protection.

"Me?" Emma retorted. "I shouldn't have to be sorry for something that I didn't mean in the first place!"

Kendra insisted, "It doesn't matter! Would you prefer that he freeze us all? Apologize to him!"

Emma swallowed hard and balled her hands into fists. Then she inched herself around the tree she had been holding, faced the snowy figure, and bowed stiffly. "I apologize for my words earlier," she said loudly but formally. "I didn't intend any insult. We're fairies from Alfea; please let us pass." In the next moment she was surrounded by a shimmering aura and an ornate brooch appeared on her chest, followed by a small red pouch on one hip.

"Wow!" Alice exclaimed. "You earned your Charmix!"

Emma brightened up. "So I did! I always hated having to take responsibility for stuff, so I guess this means I passed the test."

The snowstorm gradually eased. Soon Trista rejoined them, also sporting a brooch and hip pouch. "I forced myself to fly out of the tree and go higher than the snow squall," she said. "I never liked flying; being more attuned to the earth, I was afraid of heights!"

Clarice pouted. "When is it going to be my turn?"

"When you face your greatest fear," Alice reminded her. "Whatever that is."

"We still have to make amends," said Kendra, indicating the large ample-bearded man who was approaching them. He held a white staff and his ornate fur-trimmed robe was as blue as the winter sky. "He probably won't be very pleased to hear why we're here."

"You need not explain," the man said in a deep, resonant voice with a Russian twang. "I long hoped that this day would come, that the fairies would return seeking their own. My daughter Snegurka knew that the Wizards of the Black Circle would come for her, and so she entrusted me with this." He gestured in an arc shape, and in his hand appeared a delicate silver tiara set with tiny blue jewels.

"It's beautiful," said Alice.

Father Frost smiled a bit sadly. "As a creature of the North, she could not survive long outside of the winter's cold. Her mother made this for her as protection, so that she might walk among humans."

"Pardon me sir, for asking an obvious question," said Trista, "but how are you able to remain here?" She indicated the warm spring sun that was beginning to break through the clouds.

"I have my own magical defenses, but soon I too must retreat to a safe haven."

"You too? Does that mean your daughter survived?" Kendra asked in a hopeful tone. It was clear that he missed his daughter and it would be tragic if she had died by some means.

He nodded, and all the fairies were quite relieved. "She, among many others, was released from her long imprisonment last year by another group of fairies from Alfea. Afterwards she found a place with the Arctic Fairies, and is happy with them. Her mother and I miss her dearly, but we respect her choice." He handed the tiara to Kendra, who carefully wrapped it in a cloth. "Please, for my daughter's sake, take care of this."

"You have our word," Kendra promised.

* * *

The shuttle glided almost noiselessly to a stop in the street near Kendra's apartment building. She glanced at the local time on her cellphone; it was barely mid-morning. Even though she had hopped from early morning here to mid-morning at Alfea, and then to mid-afternoon in the wilds of Russia, she had only been away for about two hours. "I should check in," she told the girls. "My roommate will most likely be up by now and I'm sure she'll be upset that I slipped off again."

"Did you tell her about Alfea?" Clarice asked.

"Yes," Kendra replied, "but I left out everything about magic. As far as she knows, I'm assisting with historical research. I thought it would be safer that way."

"It might be, come to think of it," Trista said. "Especially now, given the potential for abuse that these items have." She gestured to the small tote bag that now held the tiara.

"We'll take care of things from here on," Alice said. "You go home and do what you have to do." She gave Kendra a friendly hug.

She scooped up her own bag from the floor and exited the shuttle, and then walked a few steps away to watch it take off again into the clear sky. This quest of hers was difficult, but she was learning a great deal about what it meant to be a fairy and her relationship with the world.

Lost in thought, she barely heard the shout before something slammed into her from behind and sent her sprawling to the sidewalk. She lost her grip on her bag and it bounced a short distance away. In the next instant, pain lanced across her back as an acrid odor reached her nostrils. Her clothes were on fire! She rolled vigorously several times to smother it, and then tore off the still-smouldering remnants of her jacket and threw it aside.

Cruel laughter sounded from somewhere above her, and she very slowly and agonizingly sat up to see Cyndi hovering about three meters over the street. Her mind froze, unable to process this development. Cyndi was supposed to have been under house arrest in the care of her parents, until her court date. What had happened? On top of that the girl had changed her appearance: she was dressed in charcoal gray with a bright red sash around her waist and fingerless spiked leather gloves. Her formerly brown hair was now coloured dark red.

"I finally got you!" Cyndi cackled. "For weeks I've been practising my powers to make them stronger, and spying on this place to find the best time to take you out!"

"You should be—" Kendra's voice failed and she began to cough, every movement causing an excruciating protest from her burned back.

"Oh please," Cyndi scoffed. "I played the game of remorseful child for a while, but when I was ready, I showed my parents that they had no power over me." She conjured a fireball in one hand. "As a matter of fact, nobody has any power over me. Except you, and that's changing right now." Then she prepared to throw. "Goodbye, Miss Know-it-All!"

"You leave her alone!" shouted a familiar voice. It was Candice! She was standing just outside the front door to their apartment building, clearly terrified but also determined to help her friend. In a well-meaning but foolhardy move, she threw her coffee mug toward Cyndi.

The witch casually loosed her fireball at the mug and it disintegrated. "Don't interfere, human scum!"

The exchange had only taken a few seconds but it had distracted Cyndi enough to allow Kendra to force herself to her feet and dart into a nearby alley out of the witch's sight.

With a furious yell, Cyndi shot up higher to gain a better vantage point and began to search the streets below.

Tears fell from Kendra's eyes as the rational part of her brain screamed that she needed to get to a hospital. However, as hurt as she was, she had to transform and deal with Cyndi before Candice or anyone else was attacked. Clenching her teeth against the pain, she raised her hands above her head. "MAGIC WINX!"

To her surprise, once her transformation was complete she felt perfectly fine; the burn seemed to have vanished. But there was no time to figure out why. She took flight and as soon as she cleared the rooftops she put two fingers to her mouth and whistled loudly.

Cyndi spotted her immediately. "Don't start thinking that'll help!" she said. "I've had my powers longer than you and I'm better. Scarlet Sphere!" She began a barrage of the flaming spheres.

Kendra knew there was no way she could dodge them all. "Astute Shield!" Her energy shield appeared on her left arm, and as the spheres continued to hit it she was driven backwards. For the moment she remained on the defensive, blocking and dodging as needed, as she tried to examine her opponent for any weak spots. Judging from her behaviour now and during their previous encounter, Cyndi apparently preferred direct assaults rather than using strategic applications of her abilities. That was a serious flaw.

"Stop dancing around and fight!" Cyndi shouted. "Maybe this will get things cooking!" She whirled her hands in a circular motion. "Suspension Zone!"

Before Kendra could avoid it, an orange-red ring formed around her and contracted inwards to trap her wings and crush her arms to her sides. Unable to fly, she plummeted to the ground. With a groan, she tried to rise but failed. Luckily she didn't seem to have broken any bones but she felt bruised all over.

Cyndi landed a short distance away and laughed. "That's better. You just stay put while I scare some sense into that fool over there." She turned and sashayed toward where Candice was standing immobilized by surprise and dread.

"No!" Kendra struggled to get her legs underneath herself so she could stand. Belatedly she noticed that the dropped tote bag had burst open and— what was that? Instead of the mundane contents that she had expected, the magical tiara lay in the street. She had picked up the wrong bag! If Cyndi saw it...

She did. "Well, what's this precious little trinket?" One side of her mouth quirked upwards suspiciously as she stopped to peer at it. "If you had this all wrapped up, then it must be something special. Let's just get rid of it." She savagely kicked the tiara and it skittered along the pavement.

"No!" Kendra cried again. If it got damaged, or worse, if Cyndi decided to absorb its magic, there was no telling what would happen. She had to protect it! She had given her word! Reaching inside herself for her power, she strained against the ring that held her until it shattered into ribbon-like fragments that quickly dissipated. "Expert Strike!"

She wasn't fast enough; the witch was prepared for the attack. "Flaming Shutout!" The witch encircled herself with a fiery barrier that deflected the golden ray. "Nope, we can't have that," Cyndi said gleefully. "You're not the only one who can make a shield now. And this doesn't just protect me: it burns whatever touches it." She walked forward with slow deliberate steps, and the asphalt steamed when her barrier passed over it.

Kendra lurched back a step as Cyndi closed the distance between them. What could she do now? She had been so caught up in her fairy quest and the obligations of her human life that she had neglected to train herself for this eventuality. It had been a grave error, and it looked like both she and Candice were about to pay the price for it.

Suddenly, she felt a shift in the immediate environment. It was the same kind of sensation she felt when Morgana was about to appear: a subtle wave of magical energy. Cyndi gasped; she had felt it also.

They both turned in the direction of the source and saw Candice, who was standing in the middle of the street holding the valuable tiara and glaring at Cyndi with righteous indignation. Her eyes crackled with a silvery-white glow as she hollered, "I said: YOU. LEAVE. HER. ALONE!"

Then a cascade of light blotted her from view.


	10. Understanding

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter Ten: Understanding

Kendra's thoughts were a confused jumble. Cyndi's apparent invulnerability and Candice's sudden transmutation had blown her perceptions completely off track. It was a very frightening feeling. Since she was a child she had sought explanations for everything, and tried to be prepared for whatever life threw at her. She had felt safe within that knowledge.

Only after she had started her fairy journey had she come to realize that many things were not as they seemed and normal humans were completely unaware of it. Even so, she still attempted to apply logic to a force that was intrinsically chaotic and unpredictable. But there were no rules or instructions for a situation like this.

Therefore the best course of action was to throw the proverbial book out the window and do what the famous jazz musicians did: improvise.

While Cyndi was still distracted by what was happening to Candice, Kendra glanced around quickly to see if anything nearby could be useful. A fire hydrant stood a few meters away; it took just a small application of her magic to open it and cause a powerful spout of water to blast into the witch's fire shield.

A huge cloud of steam puffed outward, obscuring the buildings on the far side of the street. Cyndi bellowed in rage as she struggled to maintain her shield's protection against the deluge. "That... won't help... for long!"

Kendra's response was to open a second hydrant, and the pressure of two torrents of water smashed Cyndi's shield apart and flung her backwards. After a few more seconds Kendra closed the hydrants again, and as the steam dissipated and the water gradually drained away, she could see the witch lying in the street, unmoving.

She smiled with satisfaction and allowed herself to relax a bit. Then she caught her breath in surprise as a golden light enveloped her and coalesced into a jeweled wing-shaped brooch on her chest and a small frilly bag at her hip. This only meant one thing: overcoming her rigidity and stopping Cyndi had earned her Charmix! But how? She had been told that second-year fairy students were eligible, and she hadn't even begun her studies.

Putting the question aside for the moment, she ran toward where she had last seen Candice to find out what had become of her. Her friend was still standing where she had been, gazing open-mouthed at the prone witch, but the tiara was gone and the road in her vicinity was sparkling with frost.

"Candice?" she asked hesitantly.

The woman turned toward her slowly. "What did I just see, Kendra?" she asked in a dazed whisper. "What are you? What happened to me?"

"I can explain, just—" A low-pitched hissing noise cut her off. With increasing horror she looked back at where Cyndi lay.

The witch had managed to lift herself onto her elbows, her soaked hair plastered across her face. Around her, the water that remained was boiling away. "You'll pay for that!" Cyndi growled as she stood. "I'm not done yet! Flaming Shutout!" The air shimmered with heat as her fire shield flickered back into existence.

"You wish!" Kendra countered. She couldn't allow the witch to regain an advantage, so her next spell had to be decisive. Focusing her new Charmix power, she held her hands in front of her and intoned, "Kendra's Principle!"

Cyndi was so angry and overconfident that she didn't try to dodge the rippling arc of golden energy that sped toward her. "Are you even trying to hurt me?" she taunted as Kendra's spell briefly coated her shield with a gentle aura before winking out... and taking the shield with it. Her expression changed into one of shock; she clenched her fists and concentrated harder, but got no results. "What did you DO?!" she cried. Without waiting for an answer she raised her arms, and shouting "Triple Play!" she lobbed three fireballs in Kendra's direction.

She knew she couldn't summon her own shield in time, and instead yanked Candice aside. The spell missed them by a hand-span and hit a parked car, shattering its windows and scorching the paint. "Run!" she told Candice. "I'll hold her off!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Candice protested. "You can't handle her alone!"

"I couldn't before," Kendra admitted, "but now I can. Astute Shield!" The circular shield materialized on her left arm; it was slightly larger than usual, perhaps due to her Charmix. She braced herself and deflected the witch's next volley of spells. "My power-up is only temporary. You need to be safe so I can fight!"

"No way!" said Candice vehemently. "We're in this together now, whether you like it or not!" As she spoke, a cold mist formed in the air around her.

Cyndi also noticed. "That's not happening!" she insisted and flew upwards. "Tag Out!" A red ray spell flashed from her finger toward Candice.

Kendra had her own attack ready. "Expert Strike!" The two spells collided in mid-air and exploded like a firework, scattering multi-coloured motes in all directions. She hadn't wanted this, but now that Candice was involved, there was no choice. "Candice, listen! Focus on that power within you and yell 'Magic Winx!' You'll know what to do afterwards." With a reassuring nod toward her baffled friend she took flight.

The witch didn't let up. "Suspension Zone!" Once again, the orange-red magical ring surrounded Kendra.

"Not this time! Judgment Barrier!" In an unorthodox move she conjured her energy wall in between herself and Cyndi's ring before it could contract upon her. "You can't put a square peg in a round hole!" She pushed her hands outward and the wall expanded, forcing the ring away from her body. How long would she have to hold it? Did it have a limited duration? Or did Cyndi have to concentrate on it?

The answer came sooner than expected. The ring dissipated as Cyndi said, "That won't help; you can't be in two places at once!" She aimed downward. "Scarlet Sphere!" The fireball impacted in the street where Candice had been standing and exploded.

"No!" cried Kendra. She abolished her wall and descended to the ground, looking around frantically as the witch cackled. Candice was nowhere in sight. To make matters worse, her brooch and hip bag sparkled and disappeared: the Charmix power-up had worn off, which once again put her at a disadvantage.

There was a loud whistle from further up the block. "Hey, you! The witch with the bad hair! Frosted Arrow!" Before Cyndi could react, she was hit in the chest by a spell that coated her torso with ice.

Kendra was elated and intensely relieved. Candice was okay! But this wasn't the time to celebrate; Cyndi was still dangerous. "Web of Knowledge!" An orb of light emerged from her right hand and unfolded into a net that entangled the witch, causing her to fall helplessly to the ground.

As Cyndi struggled in a futile attempt to break free, Candice walked up. "How many times do I need to tell you to leave my friend alone?" she said as she brandished her rime-covered right hand.

Now Kendra approached, and after flashing a warm smile at her friend, she addressed the witch. "Cyndi, I don't know where your hatred of me came from. It was never my intent to be ahead of you all the time; I simply enjoyed learning. Please understand that I hold no grudge against you. You just need to let go of your anger or nothing good will come of it."

The witch's only reply was a snarl as she continued to squirm against the net.

At last it was over. Kendra grinned as she finally could see Candice's fairy form clearly. Her pale lavender wings were a contrast to the periwinkle and powder blue colours of her tank top and kilted skirt. She wore square-heeled ankle boots and the jeweled tiara rested on her head. "So... Fairy of Frost?"

Candice giggled and shook the frost off her hand. She was about to say something when she gasped. "Did you feel that?"

Indeed Kendra had, and she glanced to one side to see a swirl of purple and green energy form a portal—out of which stepped, of all people, Headmistress Griffin. Then the portal closed behind her.

"Wow," whispered Candice in awe.

In an expansive gesture, Griffin waved her hands to encompass the nearby windows and sidewalks that were now occupied by curious people who had been attracted by all the commotion. "_Retinentia mediocris_." Suddenly, all the watchers blinked in confusion and then returned to their previous errands as if nothing had happened.

"What—?" Kendra began to ask.

"To avoid awkward questions later," Griffin explained. "As far as they're concerned, they saw nothing out of the ordinary. Now then young fairy: as they departed, your friends saw you under attack but were unable to return quickly enough. They alerted me to the fact that a rogue witch was causing trouble, but I see that you have things well in hand."

"Still, thank you for coming, Miss Griffin," said Kendra eagerly, and indicated the captive witch. "As you know, Cyndi's powers are fire-based and she has already honed them without any formal instruction. She's selfish and resentful, but has potential and would excel if given the chance, except there's no place here that can hold her. Would you be able to rehabilitate and train her?"

Griffin considered for a moment. "She reminds me of three young witches that I once taught," she said. "They were arrogant and powerful, and they willingly embraced evil despite my efforts. I will do my best to prevent this from happening to Cyndi, but her fate will ultimately be her own choice." She cast her own holding spell around Cyndi and levitated her into the air, pulling her as if she were on a leash. Briefly she glanced back and one side of her mouth quirked upward in amusement. "It looks like Alfea is going to have an interesting semester with two unusual fairies." Then she conjured another portal and hauled Cyndi through with her.

As the portal closed, Candice stood immobile for a few seconds before clearing her throat. "That was so _cool_! Kendra, you have to tell me what's going on. And I mean the REAL story this time!"

Kendra breathed out heavily as the tension and excitement of the morning slowly waned. After everything that had happened, her friend deserved the truth. Then they both had some decisions to make. "Of course. Let's go home and we'll talk."

"Just one question," said Candice as they walked toward their building, her brow furrowed in puzzlement. "How do you get rid of the wings?"

Kendra laughed.


	11. Plans

Winx Club and all its characters are property of Rainbow S.r.l., Rai Fiction, and Nickelodeon. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

I Believe in Fairies  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 11: Plans

Her swift intake of breath hissed through her clenched teeth as Kendra eased her shirt from her back. As she had suspected might happen, the burn Cyndi had inflicted on her earlier returned once she had transformed back to normal and her fairy powers were no longer masking the pain. Her jacket was a write-off and her shirt was badly scorched and discoloured.

Candice snorted in disgust as she took the shirt in two fingers and promptly dropped it on the kitchen floor. "She got you good, didn't she?"

"Do me a favour and don't tell me how it looks," Kendra groaned as she dragged out a chair and gingerly sat down. "Just find some anti-burn spray or something, please." Her friend quickly retrieved a small pot of cream from the bathroom and began to apply it to the afflicted skin, and she sighed as a soothing coolness spread across her back. "Thanks."

"If it's any consolation there are no blisters, so it's probably not as bad as it feels. I think your jacket took most of it." She brought Kendra a clean shirt and helped her put it on.

"I have another jacket," Kendra said wryly, "but that one was my favourite." Suddenly she began to giggle uncontrollably; more from reaction than amusement. "I knew Cyndi had a petty grudge, but I never thought she would want to kill me! I'm a stupid fairy." Tears leaked from her eyes then. "And you ended up being the one who pulled my butt out of the fire."

Candice put the cream down and carefully hugged her. "That's what friends do," she said as she handed over a box of tissues. "Anyway..." she paused while Kendra composed herself and wiped her face. "It's time to spill it."

Kendra told her everything: Gardenia, the Magic Dimension, meeting Fatinah, fairies and witches, the quest for relics... the words tumbled over each other in a torrent.

At first Candice listened with incredulity, but by the time the story concluded she had become rather agitated. "So what happens now? It's not like we can pretend it was a dream and go back to our normal lives like all those people that Miss Griffin zapped. How can we be responsible for such power?"

"That's what schools like Alfea and Cloud Tower are for: to teach that responsibility," Kendra replied. "Besides, I think we're better off than Cyndi was. Although we all absorbed powerful magical energies, you and I became fairies because we chose goodness."

"But what if I don't want that?" Candice asked as she flung her arms up in frustration, which caused a few snowflakes to appear. "I have a job! I have plans for the future! I only grabbed that stupid tiara because I thought it was yours and didn't want that witch to damage it. How was I to know that it would turn me into an ice-making machine?"

"Oh, please don't start thinking that way!"

"Why not? Look at me!" She abruptly stood and flourished one hand: a small cloud of mist formed in the air. "I'm different now! What if I can't control it? What if I go all Snow Queen and accidentally hurt someone? What am I going to tell my family? Ugh!" Turning on her heel she stormed out of the room, mist wafting behind her.

"Wait!" Kendra caught up to her and clasped her shoulders, turning her around and forcing her to face her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Look, do you see anything different? I mean, really?" To her, Candice looked as she always had: pale freckled skin, round face, short blonde hair. But emotionally... that was perhaps a different story. "Being a fairy doesn't make you a monster. Have I changed that much to you?"

Bitterness edged her friend's tone. "Says the lucky _shiksa_ who just happened to get help from two of the most powerful fairies in existence."

Despite herself, Kendra bristled at the Yiddish insult and put her hands on her hips. "Candice Lehrman, there's no need for that kind of language."

"Well, it's true! Anyway, have you even told your family? Or hasn't that crossed your mind yet?"

With an exasperated sigh Kendra said, "All they know is that I'm considering graduate studies at a foreign university. But what am I supposed to say?"

Candice framed her face with outspread hands and said in a voice that dripped with sarcasm, "Hi, I'm a fairy with magical powers now! I get to turn away from everything I knew and go to magic school."

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

"It's still true," Candice insisted. "You might think what's best for you, but what about what's best for everyone around you?"

Kendra mulled that over. "It's certainly understandable why Fatinah didn't tell her family about her powers until she was forced to do so. I know I couldn't subject my family to a shock like that; at least not until I've learned more about how my powers work."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Candice said, deflating somewhat. "Especially not after what happened to Fatinah in the end, or what Cyndi said she did to her parents." She chuckled mirthlessly as she made her way into her bedroom and plopped onto her bed. "Listen to us, arguing like idiots when we should be supportive of each other." Blowing a stray lock of hair out of her face, she asked, "So, what are you going to do?"

Kendra sat beside her. "Regardless if I get the Anthropology degree or not, next semester I'm going to Alfea to study how to be a proper fairy. Miss Faragonda said that it's very rare for a non-magical person to become a fairy or witch, so I imagine it'll take more work for me to catch up to those who are already magical by birth."

"Looks to me that you're well on the way," Candice noted. "You got that power-up, right?"

"According to what I was told, second-year fairies are eligible for it," Kendra said. "So it shouldn't have happened to me yet. Maybe it did because I'm older than most fairy students would be at this point, or because I overcame a more difficult challenge. I don't know. Everything about my experience so far has been unusual, which makes it more important for me to try to understand."

"That makes sense. As long as I've known you, you've struck me as someone who values control and precision. And you certainly don't lack determination and ambition: look at how you worked to follow your mother's example and teach. But sometimes you need to loosen up too. Stop and smell the roses, as the saying goes."

"Yes, well, maybe that's another reason why I earned the Charmix. I realized that I can't predict or control everything."

"Well..." Candice stretched and stood up. "Powers or no powers, I predict that I'm going to lose my internship if I don't attend the training seminar this afternoon, so I need to get ready. And you have work too. How's your back?"

Kendra carefully moved her arms and shoulders around for a moment before glancing at Candice's bedside clock. "It's tolerable if you'd help put more of that cream on. I should contact the university also."

"Go and do that," Candice encouraged her with a smile.

A few minutes later, as Candice emerged from her room dressed for work she heard a whoop of delight from the kitchen. She smiled to herself. "I thought so. Good for you, girlfriend," she murmured.

* * *

A few days later, at the university's Spring Convocation ceremony, Kendra walked onto the auditorium stage to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Education. The Dean of the Arts faculty awaited her approach, removed his velvet cap and tapped her lightly on the shoulder with it before handing her the diploma that she had laboured so hard to receive.

Her family had travelled in for the occasion and arranged a celebratory dinner for her at a local hotel. During and after the meal she spoke with them at length and explained her decision to go to Alfea College. As she had done with Candice initially, she forbore mentioning anything about magic. Instead she told them, not untruthfully, that she had been accepted at full scholarship and there was no need to worry about money. Once she completed the advanced program she would be eligible to teach, which in turn would enable her to pay back any other expenses she might incur. To cement the deal, she handed her father a perfectly ordinary-looking form letter, signed by Headmistress Faragonda, which informed of her status.

Her mother and younger brother were both extremely pleased. Although her father at first was unconvinced, he was brought around grudgingly through the efforts of Kendra, her mother — and surprisingly, Candice, who had dropped by briefly on the way back to the apartment after her job training session.

The conversations with her family and Candice made her think about those who could not attend the graduation ceremony due to lack of time or money. That thought inspired her to call Morgana the next day with an idea: suppose more young people on Earth discovered that they had gained magical powers through some means, but were unable to go to Alfea or another training school. Maybe they had familial obligations like Fatinah. Or like Candice, they already had a life on Earth planned out for themselves and didn't want to drop everything. One way such people could safely learn about their powers at their own pace was to be tutored one-on-one or in small groups by older fairies and witches who didn't work in a classroom but still wanted to pass along their experience.

Morgana endorsed Kendra's idea and promised that she would discuss it with Faragonda, Griffin, and other magical beings she knew to find out who might be available to give such instruction. "I might even take on a student myself," she said. "I'm working part-time with Klaus at the Frutti Music Bar; but to be honest tutoring would be a better use of my talents. It'll keep me from getting rusty."

* * *

The summer passed by almost in a blur as Kendra tied up her remaining obligations on Earth: clearing her debts, tendering her resignation from her part-time job, and breaking the apartment lease. Candice had decided to move to her own place instead of looking for a new roommate, to give herself her own space to learn in as well as avoid accidentally revealing her powers; for she had accepted Morgana's offer of private tutoring. This meant that Kendra's possessions that couldn't be packed to take to Alfea had to be put into storage.

Kendra also visited Fatinah to give her a formal letter of discharge from Alfea and pass along Miss Faragonda's well-wishes. She seemed to be doing well, having enrolled in a Political Science program, but there was an underlying sadness about her despite her pleasure at hearing about Kendra's plans. They promised each other that they would keep in touch.

Lastly she tracked down Cyndi's family, who had moved to the other side of the city. Before confronting Kendra, Cyndi had caused severe injuries to her parents and burned their house to the ground. Only her younger brother had been lucky enough to escape relatively unscathed. They were all still recovering and had effectively disowned Cyndi after what had happened. Although they seemed satisfied that she was getting help, they had little interest in what ultimately became of her.

* * *

The day finally came when a shuttle from Alfea was due to arrive to pick her up. There was laughter and a few tears as she had one last video-chat session with her family before packing up her computer, and Candice hugged her and wished her good luck before she had to leave for work.

As she waited at the designated spot with her luggage, she glanced over the course schedule that she had received through her magic-enabled smartphone: History of Magix, Spellcasting, Potionology, Magiphilosophy, and a few other subjects. There were timeslots allocated for her artifact research as well, and she would be leading more second- and third-year students into the field.

It was going to be a busy year.

The pick-up and flight were uneventful, and when she disembarked at the gates of Alfea she joined the throngs of other students heading into the courtyard. To her surprise, Alice accosted her and excitedly led her to the great staircase that rose to the main entrance. Waiting there were Headmistress Faragonda, several other professors, and six young women about her own age.

She was awestruck as she at long last was introduced to the fairies that she had heard so much about: the Winx Club — Bloom, Stella, Tecna, Flora, Musa, and Aisha. It took her a few moments to find her voice when they asked her about herself.

"Kendra, Fairy of Knowledge!"

THE END

Sailor Chronos  
December 2015

I would like to thank the following people:

My husband, as always, for his support.

All the readers and reviewers who have encouraged me to continue Kendra's story, despite the difficulties that life has thrown at me. I'd promised myself I'd finish the story by the end of the year and I did it.

Iginio Straffi, the creator of Winx Club, for providing a rich and magical universe to inspire the imagination.


End file.
